Author: Shawn Simmons with Sam Dorsey and Holden Slattery
As visitors walk across the University of Pittsburgh campus today, they are surrounded by the work of Virgil Cantini, whose public art is woven into the everyday fabric of university life. Yet for those who studied with him or visited his home studio, the memory of Cantini extends far beyond his work.
As part of Earth and Ether: The Art of Lucille and Virgil Cantini, the University Art Gallery invited community members to share their reflections on Cantini’s life and influence. What follows are two voices that testify to his impact as a mentor who pushed students to see differently.
Sam (Linda) Dorsey (BA ’79, MBA ’86)
"Virgil Cantini was my advisor during my years in the Studio Art department. Initially, I was intimidated by him; he was an imposing presence in the Frick Fine Arts building, and he had a reputation as an artistic talent with tremendous skill in a variety of mediums. Even now, you cannot walk around the Pitt campus without being surrounded by his work. Virgil challenged me as an artist, but in turn I learned to think more deeply about the art process; he wanted students to have artistic vision as well as technical skills.
My years as an art major at Pitt were some of the most important in my life. Learning to think creatively, to develop skills as an artist, and to see the importance of art in the bigger world shaped the way I think, even to this day.
Virgil challenged me as an art student. Each semester, he would ask why I wanted to take a certain course and why I thought it would benefit me as a student artist. (An art history course on Cézanne or Frank Lloyd Wright: Why? What did I seek to gain?) This put me on the defensive at first, but in time I learned to see that he wanted me to think more deeply about the art process; he wanted students to have artistic vision as well as technical skills.
He felt that it was important to see what the artist was thinking, and that I was losing that by being too conventional, less free in my expression. He wanted to see more openness and exploration in my drawing. He was pushing me to be a better artist.
I am recently retired after working in marketing and graphic design for 40 years. And I am now returning to practicing my art: painting, drawing and print-making. With gratitude for teachers and mentors in my early years like Virgil Cantini who pushed me to explore and try new things, I now have the time to fully enjoy that exploration."
--
Holden Slattery (BA ’08)
"I had passed Virgil Cantini’s sculptures and murals countless times on Pitt’s campus, but until I met him in 2008, I never really saw them—except for Skyscape, the sculpture hanging in Posvar Hall that students called “The Death Trap.” This changed when I attended a Pitt News editorial meeting, and our editor, who had recently done yard work for the Cantinis, pitched a story about Virgil and his art. I had some experience with art—mostly making my own—so I agreed to take on the story.
Virgil and Lucille Cantini were both nearly 90 years old at the time. Their home was filled with paintings, prints, jewelry, and other works they had created over many decades. Lucille usually sat in her rocking chair while Virgil led me through the house to show me hundreds of artworks and tell me what inspired them. He cared deeply about sharing his work with other people and making a lasting impact. So much of his public art, constructed with steel and porcelain enamel, was made to endure.
I returned several times, and although we shared joyful moments, it was a painful time for him. Our interactions taught me about creative drive, aging, loss, and legacy. Regarding his art, Virgil was very proud of his career, but what pained him were the times when large public artworks he had created on commission were taken down and hidden from view. “They removed it, and they have it in storage someplace, which is painful as hell,” he said of one sculpture.
A decade after meeting him, I set out to write a more ambitious story about Cantini’s life and frequent struggles to save his art from removal or destruction and create new spaces for it. I continued to tell his story through an article for Belt Magazine and a short documentary, both of which piece narrate how Cantini's beautiful 1964 tunnel mosaic in Pittsburgh was just recently saved from destruction by a group of determined advocates. It also explored key aspects of the twentieth century, including immigration, war, civil rights, and the impacts of urban renewal.
As an artist, Virgil Cantini was inspired by religion, technology, space exploration, love, and the power of art itself. As a student and writer, I’ve been inspired by Virgil Cantini."
Continuing a Conversation
These words reveal the many ways Virgil Cantini left his mark: as a demanding but generous teacher, as a public artist whose works became inseparable from the Pitt campus, and as a creator who built lasting connections through his art.
Earth and Ether: The Art of Lucille and Virgil Cantini is on view in the University Art Gallery from October 16th, 2026 to January 30th, 2026. The gallery is open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 12-4pm.